BEFORE THE TRIAL

 While waiting for the next ship for Spain, he was kept as a “guest” on board the Spanish cruiser
Castilla. Meanwhile, on August 26, 1896, Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan raised the cry of
revolution in the hills of Balintawak, a few miles north from Manila. Rizal, worried about the raging
hostilities, left for Spain on the steamer Isla de Panay on September 3, 1896. It was his last trip
abroad.
 Rizal had a pleasant trip from Dapitan to Manila, having multiple stopovers in Dumaguete, Cebu,
Iloilo, Capiz, and Romblon to visit some friends and acquaintances.
 The Espana steamer arrived in Manila Bay early in the morning of Thursday, August 6, 1896.
Unfortunately, Rizal was not able to catch the mail ship Isla de Luzon for Spain since it had
departed the previous day at 5:00pm. Near midnight of the same day, Rizal was transferred to the
Spanish cruiser Castilla, by order of Gov. Gen. Ramon Blanco. Rizal stayed on the cruiser for about
a month, from August 6 to September 2, 1896.
 While Rizal was patiently waiting on the cruiser Castilla for the next steamer to take him to Spain,
portentous events occurred.
- On the fateful evening of August 19, 1896, the Katipunan plot to overthrow Spanish rule by
means of revolution was discovered by Fray Mariano Gil, an Augustinian cura of Tondo.
- The tumult produced by the discovery of the Katipunan plot was aggravated by the “Cry of
Balintawak” which was raised by Bonifacio and the Katipuneros on August 26, 1896.
- At sunrise of August 30, the revolutionists led by Bonifacio and Jacinto attacked San Juan but
they were repulsed with heavy horses(?).
- In the afternoon, after the Battle of San Juan, Gov. Gen. Blanco proclaimed a state of war in
the first eight provinces for rising in arms against Spain --- Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas,
Laguna, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.
 Rizal was worried for two reasons
1. The violent revolution which he sincerely believed to be premature and would only cause
much suffering and terrible loss of human lives and property had started
2. It would arouse Spanish vengeance against all Filipino patriots
 While the ship was anchored at the Manila Bay, the Katipuneros hatched a plan to rescue Rizal.
In executing the plot, Emilio Jacinto, Guillermo Masangkay, and other Katipuneros disguised
themselves as sailors. Using the boat named Caridad, the group was able to go near the ship,
confronted Rizal and informed him of their intention. Rizal declined. He refused the idea of him
getting rescued.
 On August 30, 1896, the day when the state of war was proclaimed in the 8 provinces, Rizal
received from Gov. Gen Blanco two letters of introduction for the Minister of War and the
Minister of Colonies, with a covering letter which absolved him from all the blame for the raging
revolution
 At 6pm September 2, Rizal was transferred to the steamer Isla de Panay which was sailing for
Barcelona and then it left the next morning.
 The Isla de Panay arrived at Singapore in the evening of September 7.
 Don Pedro Roxas (rich Manila creole industrialist) advised Rizal to stay behind Singapore and take
advantage of the protection of the British Law. Several Filipino residents of Singapore who
boarded the steamer, urged him to stay in Singapore to save his life. However, Rizal ignored all
 their appeals because he had given his word of honor to Gov. Gen Blanco and he did not like to
break it.
 Without Rizal’s knowledge, Gov. Gen Blanco was secretly conspiring with the Ministers of War
and the colonies for his destruction. Rizal believed that Gov. Gen Blanco was a man of honor and
a friend because he allowed him to go as a free man to Spain to become a physician-surgeon of
the Spanish army in Cuba. The truth of the matter, Blanco was his implacable foe, who regarded
him as a “dangerous Filipino” who was responsible for the raging Philippine Revolution, and
therefore plotted his doom.
 The Isla de Panay left Singapore at 1pm, September 8.
 On September 25, he saw the steamer Isla de Luzon, leaving the Suez Canal, crammed with
Spanish troops. 2 days later, he heard from the passengers that a telegram arrived from Manila
reporting the execution of Francisco Roxas, Genato, and Osorio.
 On September 28, a passenger told Rizal the bad news that he would be arrested by order of Gov.
Gen Blanco and would be sent to prison in Ceuta (Spanish Morocco), opposite Gibraltar.
 On September 30 at 4pm, he was officially notified by Captain Alemany that he should stay in his
cabin until further orders from Manila.
 On October 3 at 10am, the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal a prisoner on board. The
trip from Manila to Barcelona lasted exactly 30 days. He was kept under heavy guard in his cabin
for 3 days. His jailor was no longer the ship captain but the Military Commander of Barcelona,
who happened to be Gen. Eulogio Despujol, the same one who ordered his banishment to Dapitan
in July 1892.
 At 3am on October 6, Rizal was awakened by the guards and escorted to the grim and infamous
prison-fortress named Monjuich. He spent the whole morning in a cell.
 About 2pm, he was taken out of prison by the guards and brought to the headquarters of Gen
Despujol. The general told Rizal that he would be shipped back to Manila on board the transport
ship Colon which was leaving that evening.
 At 8pm, October 6, the ship left Barcelona, with Rizal on board.
 On October 8, a friendly officer told Rizal that the Madrid newspapers were full of stories about
the bloody revolution in the Philippines and were blaming him for it.
 On October 11 before reaching Port said, Rizal’s diary was taken away and was critically
scrutinized by the authorities. On November 2, the diary was returned to him.
 News of Rizal’s predicament reached his friends in Europe and Singapore. From London, Dr.
Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto Lopez dispatched frantic telegrams to an English lawyer in
Singapore named Hugh Fort to rescue Rizal from the Spanish steamer.
 When the Colon arrived in Singapore, Atty. Fort instituted proceedings at the Singapore Court for
the removal of Rizal from the steamer. The crux of Mr. Fort’s legal contention was that Rizal was
“illegally detained” on the Spanish steamer. Unfortunately, Chief Justice Loinel Coz denied the
writ saying it is a warship of a foreign power, which under international law was beyond the
jurisdiction of the Singapore authorities.

THE TRIAL

 On November 3, Colon reached Manila. Rizal was then quietly transferred under heavy guard from
the ship to Fort Santiago.
 Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities fished for evidence against Rizal. Many Filipino patriots were
brutally tortured to implicate Rizal. Even Paciano was arrested and cruelly tortured. He suffered
all pains inflicted by Spain’s diabolical torturers but he never signed any damaging statement
incriminating his younger brother.
 On November 20, the preliminary investigation began.
- Rizal appeared before the Judge Advocate, Colonel Francisco Olive. He was subjected to
grueling five-day investigation. He was informed of the charges against him. Two kinds of
evidence were presented against Rizal: documentary and testimonial. The documentary
evidence consisted of fifteen exhibits. (see page 254-255 ni Zaide)
- Testimonial Evidences:
1. Aguedo Del Rosario Llamas, a native Mindoro stated that Rizal was the honorary president
of Katipunan, at that his portrait hangs in the session of the society.
2. Martin Constantino, stated that the objectives of the association were to execute
Spaniards, declare the independence of the Philippines, and place Rizal as its supreme
leader.
3. Jose Reyes, stated that Rizal was one of the Mason who campaigned for the
independence of the Philippines; that Moises Salvador arrived from Spain following the
directives of Rizal to establish La Liga Filipina; and that the statutes of the society was
already prepared by Rizal.
4. Moises Salvador, the founder and president of an association of Filipinos in Madrid, stated
that Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar were the leaders of La Liga Filipina. He added that the
La Liga was established to provide the means to secure the independence of the islands.
He also testified that when Rizal arrived in Manila in June 1892, he called for a meeting in
the house of Doroteo Ongjunco where Rizal explained the need for the Liga with the final
aim of attaining the separation of the Philippines from Spain.
5. Jose Dizon, stated that the La Liga was amassing funds for the expenses of the insurrection
and that the Katipunan and the Liga were one and the same society.
6. Domingo Franco, declared that Rizal was the one who called for a meeting at the house
of Doroteo Ongjunco. He likewise stated that Rizal discussed the need for setting up La
Liga for it to gather funds and to hasten the separation of the Philippines from Spain.
7. Deodato Arellano, stated that La Liga was to carry out a subversive propaganda in the
island, and when Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, and that the Masonic Lodge collected funds
to arrange his escape.
8. Ambrosio Salvador, testified that during the meeting at Ongjunco's house, a proposal was
made to organize La Liga and that Rizal was elected president.
9. Pedro Serrano Laktaw, admitted that he made trips with Rizal in the town of Tarlac and
that he was present in the meeting at the house of Ongjunco.
10. Dr. Pio Valenzuela stated that in a meeting in Pasig, some Filipinos agreed to take a trip
to Japan after consulting Jose Rizal.
11. Antonio Salazar, testified that Timoteo Paez, together with the sister of Rizal, have
arranged for a vessel that would be used by Rizal to escape to Japan, and that he would
be joined by Doroteo Cortes and Marcelo Del Pilar. He also added that there was a
collection of funds to help Rizal escape from Dapitan.
 12. Francisco Quison stated that there was an agreement among the leaders of Katipunan to
send R. Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan and seek Rizal's advises whom they considered a
supreme leader. He also stated that the members of the society decided to launch a
revolution.
13. Timoteo Paez stated that he attended the founding of La Liga in Ongjunco's house and
that Moises Salvador received some copies of the by-laws of the organization.
 On November 26, Colonel Olive transmitted the records of the case to Gov. Gen Blanco, and the
letter appointed Captain Rafael Dominguez as special Judge Advocate to institute the
corresponding action against Rizal.
 Immediately, Dominguez made a brief resume of the chargers and returned it to Gov. Gen Blanco
who transmitted them to the Judge Advocate General, don Nicolas de la Pena for an opinion.
- After studying the papers, Pena submitted the following recommendations
1. The accused be immediately brought to trial
2. He should be kept in prison
3. An order of attachment be issued against his property to the amount of one million pesos
as indemnity
4. He should be defended in court by an army officer, not a civilian lawyer
 The only right given to Rizal was to choose his defense counsel but he had to choose only from a
list submitted to him.
- On December 8, a list of 100 first and second lieutenants in the Spanish army was presented
to Rizal. He chose Don Luis Taviel de Andrade to be his defender in court since the name was
familiar to him.
- Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade proved to be the brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade, Rizal’s
bodyguard in Calamba in 1887.
 On December 11, the information of charges was formally read to Rizal in his prison cell with his
counsel present. He was accused of being “the principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino
insurrection, the founder of societies, periodicals and books dedicated to fomenting and
propagating ideas of rebellion”.
 Dominguez forwarded the papers of the Rizal case to Malacanan Palace on December 15, the
same day when General Camilo Polavieja became Governor General of the Philippines.
 On December 15, Rizal wrote a manifesto to his people appealing to them to stop the necessary
shedding of blood and to achieve their liberties by means of education and industry.

THE DAY OF THE TRIAL

 At 8am December 26, 1896, the court-martial of Rizal started in the military building called Cuartel
de Espana.
 Rizal sat on a bench between two soldiers. His arms were tied behind, elbow to elbow. He was
dressed in a black woolen suit with a white best and black tie.
 The trial was opened by Judge Advocate Dominguez who explained the case against Rizal. After
him, Prosecuting Atty. Alcocer arose and delivered a long speech summarizing the charges against
Rizal and urged the court to give the verdict of death to the accused.
 Then Defense Counsel Taviel de Andrade took the floor and read his eloquent defense of Rizal.
 When Lt. Taviel de Andrade took his seat, the court asked Rizal whether he had anything to say.
Rizal then read a supplement which consists of 12 points to his defense. (pp. 260-261 in zeida)
  The president, Lt. Col. Togores Arjona, considered the trial over and ordered the hall cleared. After
a short deliberation, the military court unanimously voted for the sentence of death.
 On December 28, Gov. Gen Polavieja approved the decision of the court-martial and ordered Rizal
to be shot at 7am of December 30 at Bagumbayan Field.

FACTS ABOUT THE TRIAL

- Rizal was used as a password of Katipunan.

References:

Guzman, Joshua De. “Arrest & Trial of Rizal.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 20 Aug. 2014,
www.slideshare.net/djoshuaabel/arrest-trial-of-rizal.